It’s time to SNAP your brand!

It’s time to SNAP your brand!

Snapchat has been on the rise for the past few years and most recently has seen a huge growth in users. The ability to view and share short content that expires in 24 hrs means users don’t have to filter through an overloaded timeline to see the content they want. Fun features and the paint option that takes you back to the good old days of Microsoft paint are attracting more users everyday.

Social media marketers are now incorporating Snapchat into their marketing strategy. Using Snapchat to market to consumers is a little different than traditional social media marketing. We’ve created a few tips on how you can elevate your marketing with Snapchat.

Make your snaps unique

Your followers don’t want to see the same content you’ve posted on other platforms. They’re looking for authenticity and uniqueness; they want to see what’s behind the curtain. The cool thing about Snapchat is that users feel as if they are getting to see exclusive behind the scene content from your brand. Your content needs to be similar to what you post on other social platforms, but different in the fact that it is authentic and a little raw. Snapchat is way a to be more transparent with your brand.

Snap some pictures and videos of what a day at the office looks like for your brand to show followers a glimpse of what really goes on. The best example of this is the ladies over at Manrepeller. Lendra Medine and her posse send out snaps while on set at a photo shoot, hanging out at the office and in the middle of New York fashion week. As I viewer, I feel like I’m getting cool inside information and my loyalty has grown from following them on Snapchat. I feel more connected to the brand because I can see what a day in the life of a Manrepeller really looks like. I actually check my Snapchat stories daily, just so I don’t miss an update.

Snap some promos and perks

Snapchat is a social thing. It’s a way for friends to stay engaged with other friends and keep up with what’s going in each other’s life. We are bombarded with ads everyday and the last thing we want to do is watch an ad on our social media, UNLESS there’s something in it for us. As a brand you have to give to gain on Snapchat (and in general).

Offering promos like 50% off if you screenshot this snap or reply back will keep your followers engaged and constantly checking to see when your next deal is going to be. You can also include referral/discount codes in your snaps. Using the code you can track who is engaging then track customer behavior and effectiveness.

Make it exciting; turn your snaps into a cool scavenger hunt. Your followers will anticipate your next snap and if it’s cool enough, they’ll share it with all their friends.

A great example of this is Heineken’s SnapWho campaign at Coachella music festival. Heineken snapped clues about special performances then told their followers to snap back with their guess of who would be performing. If correct, followers would be entered into a chance to win exclusive access to the performance.

Get Involved

Nobody wants to have a one-way conversation, especially not on social media. Get your followers involved by asking them to participate. You can snap a video encouraging them to ask your brand questions and reply back with the answered snap. Ask your followers to vote on certain products to see which one they like they best. Followers feel like they have say in your brand and are more personally connected.

Get Influencers on Board

There are many influencers with a large Snapchat following you can team up with. You can have the influencer “take over” your Snapchat for the day and send out cool snaps that reflect your brand and also bring realness. This approach is less promotional and more authentic. Followers can see how your brand fits into real everyday life through the influencer.

Are You Snapping?

You can’t expect to understand how to reach others on Snapchat unless you are personally snapping as. You need to know what it feels like to be a targeted consumer. Analyze what you liked, what you didn’t like and what other brands are doing to engage their following.

Wrap up

There are over 7 billions stories viewed each day and 100 million global active users. Snapchat has seen the highest growth rate than any other social media platform. If you haven’t created a plan to incorporate Snapchat into your social media marketing strategy, the time is now.